The Jim Nantz Award is a Beautiful Gift from One Iconic Sportscaster to the Next One
On March 30, an award will reshape the lives of so many young college sports broadcasters, like me, for the rest of our media lives.
This award grants the opportunity for all of the hard work, dedication, and long hours of editing reels on Adobe Premiere/Audition to finally come to an end. Especially for the seniors as this one award will be their last hurrah, or first endeavor, of their rigorous broadcasting journey of seeking employment and becoming the next great sportscaster.
With a name so deserving of the scripture on the award, a gift from a man who has called the world's biggest events, from The Master's to the NCAA Tournament. March Madness to college football and basketball for CBS Sports. 35 years later, Jim Nantz will call it quits from the March Madness tournament, but even in his passing, his legacy will live on not just by handing out a tie at the end of the championship game, but also through this award.
The end chapter is near in Nantz's career as this will be his last NCAA Tournament. Besides handing out coat ties to the winning player from the winning NCAA Tournament team at the end of the night, as a broadcaster in training, the moment you step on the stage and win the award, it's like Nantz does hand you a coat tie. At the same time, you learn about the connections to get into the industry.
Handed out for the first time in 2009 by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA), the winner of the award will be given full access to the agency by Nantz's agent after the founder of the STAA, Jon Chelesnik, who read Nantz's book (which I am reading it late, so late that it was published in 2007) "Always By My Side." A must read for any sportscaster in the industry on telling stories and spending time with family. The book talks about Jim Nantz's father, an inspiration to him in the industry, who between 1998-2007, dealt with a long-winded battle from Alzhiemer's
He felt so inspired by the book, and his agency, according to a video by the National Sports Media Association, called his agent about the possibility of using Nantz's name on a trophy fit for, "The top collegiate sportscaster in America." Having the name of America's most prolific broadcaster, in another top tier is what makes this award so special to the sportscasters in training. Nantz would accept his name on the trophy, and since 2009, the award has been handed out to kids from schools big and small.
Especially given the fact that the first winner of the award was from Marshall University then the next winner was from Eastern Illinois.
Either way, when I heard about the award, I transferred from a small school called Vincennes University and had never heard of the award, but when I heard more about it, I was intrigued and very fond of this award, especially the fact the award at the end is given by Jim Nantz.
Since its inception in 2009, the award has been handed out to juniors and seniors, most 99% of male students and one woman in 2018, a student at St. Cloud State University in Katie Emmer. Nobody from Indiana University Bloomington has ever won the award, and I hope we do (not to be a favorite supporter of the school).
In an age of change for the world and for the broadcasting community, this is a bright spot for many as they adventure into the profession for the first time, the last time, or the next time they apply for a job. It is memorable to win this award for so many, even to be a third, second, or first team all American is like being a 3rd, 2nd, or 1st team All Big Ten or Pac-12 Selection while playing basketball.
It is a beautiful gift from a beautiful voice to another.
If you are a student at a public college or university in the United States, and you major or are a practicing member of the sports media, journalism, broadcasting, play-by-play, host, or radio announcer categories, you are eligible. If you are a junior or senior, this adds as an added plus because you will get one free year of membership to the STAA Talent Agency and a chance to go meet industry professionals to the 2023 NSMA Awards Weekend & National Convention from June 24-26 at the Marriott Hotel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
General admission to the event, if you are not an award winner of NSMA member, will cost between $100-$325 for a full package to the meeting.
Tapes need to be around 15 minutes and cannot include things such as big plays, buzzer beater plays, or introductions to shows and events.
To enter in the 2024 Jim Nantz Award has closed and will not open again until 2025 but this contest to determine the best of the best is the reason why sports broadcasting should be loved as much as the game.